Food and Pregnancy: What to Avoid, What to Eat While Pregnant

Morning sickness…sigh! Multiple trips to the bathroom and the beginning of a long relationship with the porcelain bowl. Take heart, it appears that morning sickness is associated with better pregnancy outcomes. Studies have also found that in women whose diet is mainly vegetarian without the dairy staples, morning sickness is uncommon. Food has a strong effect on your pregnancy so let us research little know facts about what they are good for.

Food and Pregnancy

Some people use ginger tea (but check with your doctor first) to soothe the morning sickness. For the sleepiness, several small meals throughout the day, high in carbohydrates and starch will alleviate the need to drop your head down at your desk. Lots of fruits and vegetables will also help build up your energy and detoxify you. They are also sources of vitamin B which will decrease the risk of neural tube defects (e.g. spina bifida) in your unborn child.

The foods you might want to avoid would be:

1. Liver, liver products, and vitamin A supplements can lead to birth defects as they are high in vitamin A.

2. While omega fatty acids are great for a growing child, shark, marlin and swordfish should be avoided as they tend to be high in mercury, which can lead to damage to the baby's nervous system.

3. BEER! Sorry, but it really does make a difference in your child. Children born to drinking mothers (actively drinking during pregnancy) tend to be born smaller, have a less developed cognitive sense, and sometimes have birth defects. The nine-month abstinence will do you both some good, and if you do chose to keep drinking, let that be your decision, and let the child make his/her own decision. Allow them a fighting chance in our highly competetive world.

4. For those who have eczema, asthma or other food allergies, avoiding nuts and other allergy causing foods can help your child not develop allergies.

5. No raw foods as you could get listeria or another bacterial infection with dire consequences for your young child.

6. No smoking. See number 3. The reasons are the same.

Pamper yourself, find time to do the things you enjoy, and just celebrate you and the little one. Eat healthy little meals, exercise (again, with a doctor's okay), and love the experience. It is a blessing and a joy and should be treated as such.